Since I’m training for the race with them, I thought I’d share some info about beef benefits for runners.

If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you probably know that I often promote plant-based foods like fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds for a healthy diet. They’re rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals to promote good health.

But I realized I haven’t shared much about why I personally eat animal products – including red meat – and why I think beef can be nutritious for runners. It’s rich in many nutrients, and I’m highlighting three today…

3 Key Nutrients + Beef Benefits for Runners

1. Protein (for muscle recovery & maintaining lean mass)

Probably the most obvious of all the health benefits for runners is the fact that beef is extremely rich in protein. Protein is essential for the repair and recovery of muscles during training. After any long run or intense workout, you should aim to get at least 15-25 grams of protein (along with some healthy carbs) for recovery.

Protein is also key for any athlete who is training while simultaneously trying to lose weight. A 2017 study showed a high protein diet – which can come from beef or other protein sources – helped to maintain muscle mass while losing weight. The nice part about beef is that it’s easy to pack a lot of protein into a small portion. For example, 3 ounces of a trimmed tri-tip roast (about the size of the palm of your hand) packs in 22 grams of protein and contains just 188 calories.

One mistake some people make is overloading protein into their dinner meal. A much better strategy is to divide your protein intake more evenly throughout the day. You might include some cottage cheese in your breakfast meal, a salad topped with some lean beef at lunch time, and a hearty bean and lentil stew for dinner.

2. Iron (for healthy blood & oxygen transport to the muscles)

In order to keep pounding the pavement, your body has to transport oxygen from your lungs, through your blood, to the muscles. Iron is involved in helping to transport that oxygen through the blood. Not enough iron leads to poor running economy, fatigue, and eventually anemia.

Red meat is rich in iron, and it’s a type of iron that is absorbed very efficiently in the body. In an interesting older study from the ‘80s, researchers divided female runners into two groups: one on a modified vegetarian diet and one on a diet with red meat. The diets were practically equivalent for overall milligrams of iron intake each day – yet the red meat group had healthier blood iron levels due to the better absorption.

Interestingly, including small amounts of meat-based iron (called “heme iron”) can actually help the body absorb more plant-based iron too!

{Side note – vegetarian runners, don’t fret! You can still get enough iron each day if you make it a point to include adequate plant based sources. And eating something with Vitamin C along with those plant-based sources can help increase absorption!}

Let’s get a little sciencey, shall we? 😉 Beta alanine is an amino acid that’s used in your body to create something called carnosine. Here’s why carnosine might be important for runners:

At a certain intensity of exercise, your body starts producing lactic acid at an increasing rate. The muscles find it tougher to contract when this acid is accumulating. Carnosine in the muscle cells act to try to buffer this acid. There may be other roles for carnosine in muscle activity as well. It’s thought that these are most influential for high intensity running, like sprint performance.

Why does this matter? The best dietary sources of beta alanine are going to be in animal protein products like red meat, pork, and fish. If you don’t include these in your diet regularly, you may have lower levels of carnosine in your muscles – possibly affecting your ability to perform your best high intensity runs (like speed work).

Of course, this research is still in its infancy (here’s a good meta-analysis from 2017 though). Right now, just about every study on beta alanine/carnosine is looking at supplementation. But if we know that foods have these sources, and there might be a positive effect, I see it as a good reason to incorporate them regularly!

Share with me: What do you think about this info on beef benefits for runners? Do you include red meat in your diet? What’s your favorite recipe featuring beef?

Chrissy Carroll is a Registered Dietitian and USAT Level I Triathlon Coach. She specializes in sharing nutrition and fitness tips, as well as recipes, for runners, triathletes, and active women.Chrissy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition, a Masters Degree in Public Health, and is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer.

When I was deep in my marathon training, I craved red meat, likely for the iron. I definitely felt more lethargic if I didn’t eat it a few times a week. Great post, and loved the scientific explanations! 🙂

I didn’t know about beta alanine in beef. Hmm… Now that you mentioned I just might incorporate beef gain in my diet. I actually love beef and I honestly don’t know why I stoped eating it. Thanks for this post Chrissy 🙂

I had no idea that beef was so healthy for you, especially for runners and athletes. I like your point about how beef has lots of iron. I can see why having healthy levels of blood iron levels could help you with blood flow and muscle growth.